The Anatomy of True Love
by Swanandapirate
Summary: Emma asks herself that question we've all been asking ourselves: How come she's not had a True Love's kiss with Killian?
**A/N: a small and short (and sweet ;) ) fic because I felt like writing but didn't want it to be a story. I'll probably reread this one shot tomorrow and find a gazillion mistakes but bear with them for now. Hope you like it.**

Emma is woken by the warbling of birds. She isn't ready to start her day, she feels it through the effort it takes to open her eyes and through the tiredness her limbs currently suffer from. However, once she becomes aware of the world around her, there is no returning to slumber.

Thanks to the fact that Dark Ones don't sleep and that she had that whole rescue mission to the Underworld.

Emma has been deprived of sleep for so long that her body likes to linger in the theory that she doesn't need it. Not wanting to drown in any sort of medication, she is forced to find other ways for her body to feel the complete exhaustion she feels every night. Killian happily helps her with that.

It's still a mystery to her. Being in love and happy and just completely fulfilled with her life. Not a single thing she would change (No, not even the lack of sleep.) Everything that happened, happened for a reason and has made that this is how she wakes up every morning

(Alright, maybe she would consider changing the event where her boyfriend died in her hands and for absolutely nothing, forcing her to get her man back out of something close the literal and figurative Hell)

Finally everything is over. They faced setback after setback, the reveal of pasts with people they had long forgotten or who resided freshly in their memories. All of them fought so hard to get him back, but it's worth it. There's no longing for calm anymore, because it's simply there. Like her mother said: "Love is worth fighting for."

Just love.

At first she worried about it. Why did they never have one? What if that meant that they weren't the great and infamous True Love? As the result of the truest love of them all, it would be a bit of a letdown for Emma not to have that too. An exclusion of her parents' legacy. But she brushed it off, putting the blame on the recentness of their relationship.

Then, when she finally said the three big words, it was logical the gust of magic and rainbows never accompanied one of their kisses. She was a Dark One, he was a Dark One, there was just not enough light between them to convey such pure power.

Or at least that's what she told herself.

 _The_ event happened and Emma was never more sure of it. Their love would bring him back and finally confirm every leap her heart makes while seeing him, every smile he brings to her face, every second she doesn't want to part from him.

And then it didn't. You would expect Hades, the God of the Underworld, to be extremely difficult to conquer. Logically, that was what she and the rest of them also thought. Well, he wasn't more difficult than the villains that seem to solely fund the tourism business in Storybrooke. It was a standard job. Find out his weakness, a little bit of magic here, a little bit of research there and poof. Mission accomplished. A True Love's kiss wasn't even needed. (Three years in Storybrooke and somehow those things seem normal to Emma.)

So they returned home and continued to live their lives.

Killian is awake, too. Emma doesn't need to open her eyes or turn to face him, because, like always, her body senses his loving gaze. The tingle finds her immediately and turns her skin into goosebumps. Their blue sheets have ruffled down to right above her waist, covering Emma's lower body and acting as form of censure, seeing that she is not wearing a lot (read nothing) below them.

"How long have you been awake?" she asks, fully aware of his cerulean eyes watching her. As a response to her voice, his hand comes to caress her bare back, forming a pattern. He's tracing her freckles.

"For some time." he replies, his voice timbre lower than his usual speech. It is a common thing in the morning.

Emma's hands go and collect her tresses hair spread over the bed. Her fingers encircle them and move them aside in the same moment Emma turns her head to meet Killian's eyes. That loving look she was talking about before? That's exactly what his features show and more when he is finally able to see her.

"Good morning."

She feels guilty that she's still so focused on that stupid once-in-a-lifetime kiss when she has a guy who looks at her as if she is his everything, again and again, over and over. But the thought is back to haunting Emma and she doesn't deserve him. It shows.

Killian draws his eyebrows together while trying to read her, to figure out what's bothering her. Her attempt of trying to make her expression seem untroubled comes just a tad too late.

"What's wrong?" He lifts his head and props it onto his stump, getting a better view of her.

"Nothing." Emma says, the look on her face innocent.

"Are you sure?" he inquires again.

Killian won't push her, Emma knows that. He will wait until she's ready. Emma slides her legs out from under the cover and sets them on the wooden parquet. Her eyes spot Killian's shirt lying close to Emma's left foot (a remnant of last night), so she grabs it and slides the soft fabric over her shoulders. In a swift move, she flicks her locks over the shirt and partially turns around to face Killian again.

"I'm going to take a shower." Emma says, never answering Killian's question.

By the time Emma returns from the bathroom, Killian is up and is wearing comfortable grey sweatpants and black T-shirt. He gestures to Emma, his index beckoning her to come closer and to join him on the bed. Step by step, Emma reluctantly does so and sits down on the pliant bed.

"Talk to me, love."

He has a soft and reassuring smile on his face and Emma loves this man tremendously.

"You're going to hate me when I say what's bothering me." she admits with a big sigh.

She turns her body more to him and crosses her legs beneath her, holding her ankles. Killian snorts in return, clearly not believing the seriousness of it all.

"Swan, I am completely under your spell and utterly in love with you. If you being the Dark One can't change that, then I'm sure this won't change that either."

The persuasion in his voice that comes from his full belief in her makes her want to cry. And not the emotional tear you see in the movie cry, but full-on ugly bawling.

"How are you so sure?" Emma asks.

"Of what, love."

She sees his struggle to understand what she's saying.

"Of this." Her hand lets go of her foot and gestures between the couple. "Of us being it. We never got any confirmation." she continues while shrugging.

It must be a rare moment because for one of the first times, Killian is looking at Emma with disbelief. Genuine disbelief of the words she's uttering.

"Are you serious now? Is this what you're worried about?"

Surprisingly, the smile he had before finds its way back on Killian's face. He scoots closer to her, using his hand and arms to move.

"Emma, every day I spend with you is a confirmation of the fact that I want to spend my life with you. It's clear to me that this is forever."

"But we never got a True Love's kiss." she says in more soft manner.

"It's true that we never saw any rainbows or unicorns, but I'm absolutely convinced that every kiss we share is one of True Love. I mean, you do feel it when I do this, right?"

Killian leans closer and places his right under Emma's ear. He's right. A burst of love hits Emma.

"And this…"

He moves his mouth to her cheek and kisses her there.

"Or when I do-" Emma cuts him off by pressing her lips against his. Yes, she feels it. How couldn't she? Killian moans and Emma reciprocates. She gets on her knees and so does he. He runs his tongue over her lower lip and she lets him in. Their tongues graze each other and keep on brushing against each other until Killian puts a stop to it.

"My love, I don't need magic to tell me how profoundly I worship you or how much love I feel for you. The only thing that matters is you and I." he proclaims while smoothing his thumb over her soft face.

"Good, because I have just decided that I don't care either. I love you, Killian." With that, she jumps on his, tackling him on the bed and causing a deep chuckled laugh out of Killian's mouth.

"I love you, too, Swan" he says while clearing her face of golden locks to kiss her again.

When the big True Love's kiss finally arrives, it's when Killian returns from grocery shopping and Emma rewards him for bringing home her favorite ice cream with a kiss. Their lips touched and boom. A burst of magic. It lead to a strange look and a shrug as they walked towards their kitchen to store the food.

They're True Love. Big surprise.


End file.
